Kentucky Derby Betting Guide

Well, actual more of a referral.

I defer you to the bloggers and experts all much better versed in this stuff than I. Best place to start is our homepage where you can find free Past Performances on the Derby (and a bunch of other stakes including the Oaks), all the TBA blogs, standings, links to non TBA blogs and Twitter links.

Bad economy or not, I expect the money to come streaming in. To get a grasp on just how much is actually bet on this race, between on track, off track and all the various on line betting sites I am looking forward to watching at 9 pm tonight the CNBC special on the business side of racing I previously posted about.

For what it’s worth regarding my Derby Picks, I will toss out I Want Revenge and Pioneerof the Nile (ha, ha spelled it right), who both look like they will be way overbet too me.

I’ll play with 5 different horses in my various plays: Friesan Fire (looks fit and workouts good), Regal Ransom (I think he has a chance to take the lead and just stick around to finish in the money), Dunkirk (loved his guts in the Florida Derby), Desert Party (the other Dubai horse-or is Regal Ransom the "other" one) and Chocolate Candy (love his pedigree, sired by Candy Ride- although I think too much smart money will come in on him, lowering his odds more than I would like). Check out all Kentucky Derby Betting odds here.

Beautiful Belmont Park

Beautiful Belmont Park opens it Spring Meet Wednesday 4/29/09. With the NY Rangers and Jersey Devils both losing in Game 7 playoffs last night, and the Knicks and Nets missing the playoffs yet again, the Metro NY Sports fan can focus on attending the new parks of the Yankees and the Mets and hopefully they can visit Belmont Park.

Probably the first thing I always notice when I visit Belmont is just how big it is, not just the 1 1/2 mile oval dirt track but the entire complex. The vast grandstand area makes Saratoga's grandstand seem so tiny in comparison. It is really a beautiful place -the Paddock is a must visit and on the rare day when the grandstand is fill, the place just roars. I think the loudest I ever remember it was in '04 when Smarty Jones came around the final turn heading for home, only to be later taken down in the stretch by Birdstone.

The opening of Belmont always reminder that time keeps going and as you get older, it goes real quick. The Belmont Spring meet opens and in whiplash like fashion, here comes the Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes, the month of July , the Saratoga meet and than bam, like a punch to the face- Labor Day is here.

So if you are in the area, bring a few bucks and enjoy the day. Some call it the Big Sandy but too me it is simply Beautiful Belmont Park.

NBC Derby Plan: Big Event Strategy

NBC Universal Sports has a clear strategy for the Kentucky Derby: Watch the "event" and stay for the race.

NBC will use its "Big Event Strategy" which they used with great success with the coverage of the Beijing Olympics. This strategy involves making full use of its varied television networks and online platforms. Hence look for segments this week on the NBC Today Show and NBC produced "Access Hollywood" as well as on all NBC owned online sites.

NBC will also this year for the first time show the Oaks on it's Bravo Network. That one hour show on Friday will be titled: “Ladies First: Bravo at the Kentucky Derby".

Nancy O'Dell of Access Hollywood will host the Friday Bravo show along with (wince now racing purists) Bethenny Frankel of Bravo's Real Housewives-NYC show.

The Bravo website describes Frankel as a "horseracing afficianado". The program will feature a "Top Chef" cooking segment, a feature on Derby fashion and a segment on how to throw a Derby party. If you have any doubt the program isn't geared for the casual fan, the Bravo Website promo makes no mention whatsoever of the actual big race that day-The Kentucky Oaks. I assume somewhere during the hour they will squeeze in a word or two and one hopes a full live showing of the Oaks.

But maybe NBC knows what they are doing. According to NBC the only other sporting event besides the Kentucky Derby to draw a higher percentage of woman viewers is the Olympics. All in all, this is the type of sporting event NBC does well. Since taking over Derby coverage from ABC in the year 2001, NBC has averaged a very impressive 8.8 rating for the 8 past years (2001-2009). ABC averaged a 6.7 rating for the prior 8 years (1993-2000) before NBC took over.

Sources: The Nielsen Company
NBC Universal Sports

Kentucky Derby Week Television Guide

With Kentucky Derby Week upon us, Horse racing jumps into the Television Spotlight.

The biggest omission will be no telecast of the Derby Post Position Draw, with ESPN deciding to drop this years coverage of the event. Also the Oaks day coverage shifts from ESPN to Bravo and shrinks to a mere 60 minutes of coverage.

Here is a guide of Derby related programming throughout the week:

• Wednesday 4/29/09: 4:30-5 p.m.: ESPN Classic: No Roses, Derby Heartbreak

11 p.m.-midnight: ESPN Classic: Sportscentury: "Citation."

• Thursday 4/30/09: 9 a.m.-10 a.m.: ESPN Classic: Sportscentury: "Seattle Slew."

9-10 p.m. : CNBC: Run for the Roses: The Kentucky Derby and the Business of Horse Racing

"Run for the Roses" offers a breakdown of money that surrounds The Kentucky Derby including the $200 million that is pumped into the Louisville economy, the $100 million-plus in bets, and the $2 million purse.

Interview subjects include Mike Iavarone, of IEAH (owner of 2008 Derby champion Big Brown); Chris McCarron, Hall of Fame jockey; Steven Crist, from the Daily Racing Form, Andrew Beyer, Washington Post horse-racing columnist/author; John Asher, Churchill Downs historian, and Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day.

• Friday 05/01/09: 5-6 p.m.: Bravo: Ladies First (includes telecast of the Oaks)

• Saturday 05/02/09: Noon-3 p.m.: ESPN: Today at the Kentucky Derby

3-5 p.m.: ESPN: Kentucky Derby Special

4-5 p.m. : NBC: Kentucky Derby Pre Event Show

5-7 p.m.: NBC: The Kentucky Derby

Joe Talamo on Last Call with Carson Daly

In case you were not up late last night here is the Joe Talamo(Jockey who will be riding potential odds on favorite I Want Revenge) video feature from Last call with Carson Daly, courtesy of NBC.

Less is More

It is the time of the year for opening day at many tracks in the coming weeks.

Churchill Downs opens this Saturday, a week before the big Day of the Kentucky Derby, Hollywood Park opens Tomorrow, Monmouth Park opens May 9th and Delaware Park opens this Saturday. And opening day for Saratoga is now only 97 days away.While we sometimes scratch our heads with the knucklehead logic of Race Track officials, I like the comments of Delaware Park Executive Director John Mooney with reference to reducing this years racing days at Delaware Park from 136 to 116 and eliminating Sunday Racing, except for the month of June. Fuller Race Fields are expected with an average of 9 horse fields up from the usual 6 or 7. Mooney stated:

"It's more of an advantage for us to race on Wednesday, particularly in the fall of the year when you have to compete on Sundays with NFL football and all the other sports activities that take place," Mooney said. "This not only helps us to increase the handle, but the money committed to the [horsemen's] purse account through pari-mutuel wagering."

I am all on board with this thinking. A recognition of the marketplace, an awareness of the competition and a plan to not over saturate the product.

Kentucky Derby Ticket Sales

Looking to go to the Kentucky Derby this year? You can still purchase an Infield Suite Ticket, a two day ticket for Derby Day and the Oaks on Friday. What is an Infield Suite Ticket, you ask. The suites are described by the Churchill Downs folks as follows:

The Infield Suites offer panoramic windows, hardwood floors, granite counter tops, and wet bars to name just a few of the many upscale amenities available in these elegant luxury suites. An audio-visual entertainment center allows you to stay updated on the latest odds for each race, then watch and listen to each race on interior monitors with surround sound. Your guests will appreciate the view from the rooftop observation deck where they will enjoy a leisurely day sipping Mint Juleps while watching the finest horses compete for millions of dollars in purse money over two days.

The Infield Suites Package goes for $1,900. If your willing to slum it with the college sets, $40 bucks gets you a general admission ticket to the infield. No seat, no nothing, just entry into the grass infield area. Coolers are allowed and you can bring as much beverages as you desire to drink.

Like most sporting events nowadays, I expect the general admission infield area to be jammed and the high priced luxury suites to have a few empty seats in them. Hopefully it will not be as bad at the empty seats clearly seen at the high priced luxury seating at the new Yankee Stadium this weekend.

Remembering Tin Cup Chalice

Tin Cup Chalice, winner of the Big Apple Triple, was euthanized this morning, 04/17/09, at Finger Lakes, his home track. He was in a freak training accident on the Finger Lakes track this morning, colliding with another horse, Zany, who was also euthanized. His rider, Pedro Rodriquez, was hospitalized. The 4 year old gelding was beginning training for his 4 year old campaign. His first race was to be at Finger Lakes. As a 3 year old, Tin Cup Chalice, won three races last year at Belmont Park, Finger Lakes and Saratoga Racetrack to take the Big Apple Triple and win a $250,000 bonus from the New York State Thoroughbred Racing and Breeding program.

Tin Cup Chalice went on to win the Indiana Derby (Grade 2) on October 4 at Hoosier Park before finishing 13th of 15 in the $2.7-million Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-G1) on December 7 in his 2008 season finale.

Tin Cup Chalice was bred, trained, and co-owned by Mike Lecesse, Tin Cup Chalice won eight of his ten starts over two seasons and earned $868,680.

Not very well known outside of New York, Tin Cup Chalice was a great story, a message of hope for all small time owners and trainers with a dream. Tin Cup Chalice, a gelding from a small track,went on to run in a Grade 1 and Grade 2 race. For a behind the scenes trainers journal of the trip to the Japan Cup Dirt, check out Mike Lecesse’s trainers journal at the Thorofan site.

Spring is really here-Oklahoma Training Track Opens

A true sign that Spring has arrived in Saratoga. The Oklahoma Training Track, on the opposite side of Union Avenue from Saratoga Race Course, has officially opened for business. It is a crisp clear morning, temperatures this a.m. in the 40's with perfect blue skies and a forecast for a high later today of 60 degrees. A peak inside the main gate of the Track across the street reveals a few small piles left of dirty snow, but the Oklahoma Track is groomed and ready to go.

There may be no better place to be at 6 in the morning than watching the horses gallop on the Oklahoma Track.

Weekend Ratings Data

After a nice rating of 1.6 for The Santa Anita Derby on NBC, The Arkansas Derby cablecast on ESPN drew a 0.3 rating. Not hard to see why ESPN has dropped the Preakness undercard. There are just too many other sports that draw higher ratings. For instance ESPN's Thursday and Friday Masters Coverage drew a 2.8 rating which for a weekday event on cable is terrific. Geno from Equispace has commented on the ESPN Preakness withdrawal in his recent post.

The weekend overnight ratings for Sports Telecasts of Note (listed by Sport, Event, Date, Network and Rating):

Golf: Masters Final Round 4/12/09 CBS 8.3
NBA: Mavericks-Hornets 4/12 ABC 1.9
NBA: Celtics-Cavaliers 4/12 ABC 2.5
Monster Truck Jam (taped)4/12 CBS 0.9
National Heads-Up Poker Championship (taped)4/12 NBC 12-2 pm. 1.0
NHL: Red Wings-Blackhawks 4/12 NBC 2:00-4:30pm 0.6
Ironman World Championship (taped)4/12 NBC 4:30-6 pm 0.4

Source: The Nielsen Company

Above the Fold

If you want publicity in the media, an old saying in the Newspaper industry is "above the fold". This is when a story is on top, on the front, above the folded paper (think NY Times, not tabloid style). This is the first thing your eyes will see and you will read the headline and at least scan part of the story.

In the Times Union, the local paper of record for the Capital Region of NY, including Saratoga, the above the fold story in both the print edition and the web edition is the story of The New York Racing Association (NYRA) banning Ernie Paragallo's Paraneck Stable horse from running any races at NYRA tracks. Officially Paragallo is listed as authorized agent for the Stable, the owners are officially his 2 daughters. The headline in the web edition states: NYRA bans Paragallo's Paraneck Stable.

The story gets top billing over the Masters Golf Coverage and the Major League Baseball scores of last night.

On page 2, below the fold, in tiny print in the print edition (and not in the web edition at all) is a wire report stating that Churchill Downs received full accreditation by the NTRA's Safety & Integrity Alliance.

The lesson here: in this sport the above the fold story is more than likely to be about the ills of our sport and the people in it. Don't blame the media, but change it from within. Everyone in the industry, and those who support it and love it, have the ability to run an ethical operation and support and care for the animals that make this game possible. If you run a clean house we are all better for it and you don't have to worry about the only above the fold stories being negative ones.

Weekend Ratings Comparison-NBC Racing Coverage

The Overnight Weekend Ratings Including the NBC Horse Racing Telecast on Saturday featuring the Santa Anita Derby:

(Listed by Event, Date of Event, Network, Time & Nielsen Rating Figure)

Tennis: Women's Final -Sony Open, 4/4, CBS, 12:30-3pm, 0.9
NCAA Basketball Michigan State-Connecticut, 4/4, CBS, 6:00-8:45pm, 8.7
NCAA Basketball Tournament: UNC-Villanova, 4/4, CBS, 9:00-11:30pm, 9.3
PGA Tour: Shell Houston Open: Third Round, 4/4, NBC, 1:00-5:00pm, 1.5
Horse Racing: Santa Anita Derby, 4/4, NBC, 5:00-6:00pm, 1.6

NBA: Spurs-Cavaliers, 4/5, ABC, 1:00-3:30pm, 2.3
NBA: Suns-Mavericks, 4/5, ABC, 3:30-6:00pm, 2.4

Tennis: Men's Final,Sony Open: 4/5, CBS, 1:00-3:00pm, 0.9
LPGA: Final Round 4/5, CBS, 3:00-6:00pm, 0.8
NASCAR: Samsung 500 4/5, Fox, 2:00-6:00pm, 4.2
NHL: Wild-Red Wings 4/5, NBC, 12:30-3:00pm, 0.9
PGA Tour:: Final Round 4/5, NBC, 3:00-7:00pm, 2.7

Notes: The 1.6 for the NBC Broadcast Featuring the Santa Anita Derby is a respectable number. The Telecast, hosted by Tom Hammond and Gary Stevens, also showed The Illinois Derby Live. This figure is actually higher than the 1.3 that ABC drew for last years Saturday Breeders Cup Telecast. Just goes to show a Kentucky Derby prep race with a good field is more in the public conscious than the Breeders Cup. The Wood Memorial was only available on MSG+ Network, which is mostly available only in the Northeast and only on some Satellite Packages. NBC did show the stretch drive of The Wood Memorial on a tape delay basis in the middle of its Saturday Coverage.

Sources: The Nielsen Company

TV Ratings-What Sports get higher ratings?

While I admire the good folks behind the "Take Back Saturday" campaign, an effort to make every Saturday a destination for weekly racing broadcasts on National Television, I think the angle should be "Take Back a Share of Saturday".

Lets look at The Florida Derby on ESPN which ran on Saturday. The ESPN televised event had lesser ratings than ALL of these other weekend televised sporting events (listed by Sport, Game/Event, Date aired and the TV Rating household share):


College basketball Oklahoma/North Carolina Sun., 3/29/09 7.7 SHARE

College basketball Villanova/Pittsburgh Sat., 3/28/09 7.5 SHARE

College basketball Connecticut/Missouri Sat., 3/28/09 6.2 SHARE

College basketball Michigan St./Louisville Sun., 3/29/09 5.9 SHARE

NBA Mavericks/Cavaliers Sun., 3/29/09 2.2 SHARE

PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational, Final Round Sun., 3/29/09 4.9 SHARE

NASCAR Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 Sun., 3/29/09 4.1SHARE

Figure skating World Figure Skating Championships,Sat., 3/28/09 2.6 SHARE

Racing is too late to the Television party and the other Sports listed above-even Figure Skating- all know how to market it better.

Bet the house

Interesting topic coming out in a book to be released by Film critic and Chicago Sun Times columnist Richard Roeper with a working title of "Bet the House". Roeper is currently in the midst of a 30 day straight gambling spree. The idea is pretty simple:

”Each day for a month, I have to risk at least $1,000 on some form of gambling, from the OTB to the dog races in Kenosha to a poker tournament in Vegas to blackjack in beautiful French Lick, Ind. I will keep a running bankroll, just like [the late Sun-Times horse handicapper Dave] Feldman used to do in his column back in the day.”

We have seen this before, and often it is a mythical bankroll where a handicapper will follow a specific meet and start with $1000. This one is interesting because it is actual money and real bets. At some point in the 30 days Roeper promises to bet 25% of the bankroll on a single bet. I love these type of books and always find it fun to follow people who do this every day in effort to show a profit. Anyone can parachute in every once and a while and place some bets, but to do it every day is one tough task. Also even in these tough financial times, lets not forget that people love to gamble and Thoroughbred Racing is a great sport to gamble on. Without the gambling the sport will fade away, and let's not forget that.

Ten days into the bet and Roeper is up, going all in and winning big with a $1000 bet with comedian and Howard Stern Sidekick Artie Lange. Roeper won with Missouri plus the 4 1/2 points over Memphis in the NCAA Men's B'Ball Tournament.

Dunkirk gets Early Mainstream Media Spotlight

So far in the early Derby Trail Race, it seems like Dunkirk, unraced as a 2 year old, is grabbing the most mainstream media focus. The Todd Pletcher trained horse, going this Saturday in the Florida Derby is featured today in a NY Times article written by Bill Finley. Yesterday The Albany based Times Union paper had a article on Dunkirk written by Tim Wilkin.

It seems that of late, these lightly raced horses grab the attention of everybody, probably because of the intrigue factor, i.e. how good could this horse be? 2 years ago it was Curlin (unraced as a 2 year old), last year Big Brown (only 2 races before the Florida Derby-but he did race as a 2 year old).

Dunkirk will have his hands full with a competitive field including Quality Road, Theregoesjojo and Patena. I am also eager to see how Danger to Society, trained by Rick Dutrow fares.

Reminder to all fellow Run to the Roses players-check your active horses. I blew it last time Stardom Bound ran, forgetting to activate her and losing those points. These Saturdays sneak up on you. You can check out the Road to the Roses Tab on the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance Homepage to see the entire schedule of Derby Preps with a list of whose running.

Crowded out

The Equispace blog covers the ESPN coverage situation this weekend of the Lane's End Stakes, complete with a link to Alex Waldrop's NTRA blog commenting on how and when the the NTRA decides to buy time on ESPN for Racing telecasts.

Still shaking my head that we had no coverage the weekend before last weekend. That weekend we had 4 nice derby prep races that were run, all within the same hour, which would have made for a nice one hour show on ESPN. Plus they would have avoided the March Madness Weekend which is a ratings monster. Instead this past weekend they decide to broadcast the Lane's End Stakes smack dab against the NCAA Men's Championship. CBS Sports has sent out a press release stating that on Saturday, March 21 the overall average metered market rating/share for the Tournament was a 6.3/14, up +5% from a 6.0/13 last year.

That's a tough number to compete against.

Bad enough that the NTRA has to actually buy the ad time (like infomercials do) but how is a Saturday slot against March Madness attractive to potential viewers or ad buyers?

New Voter for the Paulick Derby Index?

President Barack Obama spent time today being filmed for ESPN filling out his NCAA College Basketball Tournament Bracket, picking North Carolina to win it all.

With ESPN cutting this years Kentucky Derby Week coverage from 11 hours to 5 hours we don't think they have any interest in broadcasting the President's picks for the Derby but maybe Obama can be added to the panel who give us the weekly Paulick Derby Index or maybe the powers that be can get him to handicap the Kentucky Derby and have it broadcast on NBC the day of the Derby?

'09 3 year old Crop better than '08 Crop?

Still 7 weeks away from the Kentucky Derby and already I have read many media articles and blogs on how the 2009 crop of 3 year old's is so much better than the 2008 crop.

Really? Is that not just a bit premature? I realize Dutrow and the IEAH clan don't give the public a warm fuzzy feel, but man do they love to bash Big Brown and his 3 year old competition of '08.

I know we are in a instant gratification twitter crazed world right now, where opinions are lightning fast and immediate, but I like to let a 3 year old crop mature and judge them throughout the Derby Trail, than over the rest of their 3 year old campaign and finally follow them into the handicap division before granting proper judgement.

This past weekend the winners of the Gulfstream Park Handicap and the New Orleans Handicap were Smooth Air and Macho Again. Smooth Air, second to Big Brown in the Florida Derby is now 6-3-3 from 14 starts with earnings of $932,200.

Macho Again, runner up to Big Brown in the Preakness, is now 5-4-0 from 16 starts with earnings of $1,076,619.

Other '08 alumni of note include Gayego with 5 wins and $833,020.00 in earnings and Colonel John with 5 wins and $1,440,330.00 in earnings.

I think if you ask any of the owners and trainers of the '09 crop to cash in and sign on the dotted line right now for the above wins and earnings , they would ask you for a pen.

ESPN Slices Derby Week TV Coverage

The once promising relationship between ESPN and Horse Racing appears to be on the skids with ESPN cutting its Kentucky Derby Week Coverage from 11 hours in 2008 to 5 hours this year. The Kentucky Oaks will be a victim of the ESPN cuts, as they will not show the race on the Friday before the Derby. The Bravo Network, owned by NBC Universal, will pick up the Oaks Coverage as part of a one hour special. Last year ESPN had 3 hours of coverage on Oaks Day.

My initial reaction is that once again the horse racing fan gets shafted. However, I can't say I blame ESPN from the business side of the table. Although the Kentucky Derby itself draws impressive numbers, averaging an hefty 8.7 household rating share since NBC picked up the coverage in 2001, every other Horse Racing event draws anemic ratings.

This past Breeders Cup drew only a 1.0 share on the ABC portion of the Saturday 2008 coverage and "Filly Friday" on ESPN drew a very weak 0.3 on ESPN. I don't have last years Oaks ratings available to me but based on typical cable ratings I would figure it would also be about in the 0.3 range that the Breeders Cup had on ESPN on during the 2008 Friday coverage.

Looks like ESPN took a look at the ratings and just decided to go elsewhere, pushing other programs and sports that simply draw in better ratings and ultimately better ad rates. For instance, the ESPN coverage of the World Baseball Classic, is off to a strong start, with first-round game coverage on ESPN (four telecasts) averaging a 1.3 rating (up 44 percent from the original classic first broadcast in 2006). With an international audience for the World Baseball Classic, ESPN is smartly building its ESPN Deportes Cable Channel and ESPN360.com website.

Cuba vs. Australia on Tuesday, March 10, delivered a 3.3 rating on ESPN Desportes to become the network’s highest-rated non-soccer event ever.

The ESPN360.com is streaming World Baseball Classic games and traffic is way up with an average viewer time of 41 minutes per stream for Classic games.

It's all about drawing eyeballs to the screen and ESPN appears to have lost interest in using Horse Racing to do that.

SOURCES: Neilsen Media Research

Marketing-Adapt or Expire

Instead of wondering if it works or how , the smart business person is using it right now, that being the tools of Blogging, Twittering and Internet social networking sites to market your business.

The lesson here is do it now, do it fast and don't stop. Spread the word of your business through every electronic avenue you can via your own web site, Internet social sites and the cell phone.

The horse racing industry got a late start but it seems industry big wigs like the NTRA and NYRA are finally getting it and using all platforms available to market such as Facebook and Twitter. We have a way to go and are behind other sports but in this constant changing every day is a new day and the time is now.

Speaking of which, you can see the various Twittering going on at the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance via TBABlogs. You can also read the Tweets at the TBA Home Page.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Spitzer

Today, March 10, 2009, is the 1-year anniversary of the revelation of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s connection to a prostitution ring.

At that time when not busy under the sheets, the "luv Gov" had on his desk a number of "things to do" including naming the organization that would operate video lottery terminals (VLT's) at Aqueduct.

After Spitzer's fall from grace Governor Patterson picked up the baton and on October 10 2008 chose the Delaware North Cos. Inc. to operate 4,500 video lottery terminals at the Big A. Groundbreaking was originally scheduled for January 2009.

Now on the one year anniversary, no groundbreaking has been done at the Big A, and with no formal agreement in place, no shoveling is scheduled.

On Feb. 11, 2009 NYRA President Charles Hayward said:

“We have been given no indication from the state or Delaware North as to when the groundbreaking at Aqueduct will take place and that date cannot be estimated until the [memorandum of understanding] is executed. Obviously we are very concerned for NYRA’s racing program and its stakeholders, and I am more concerned as a citizen of the State of New York that the state is foregoing [more than] $300-million in annual revenues as the delay continues.”

Even more confusing, now Patterson is pushing his "Empire State Development Plan" which includes a proposed VLT and Hotel development at Belmont Park.

But for now, one year after the Spitzer debacle not one shovel is in the ground at Belmont or Aqueduct. Is there any doubt that next year on March 10, 2010 we will still be sitting here with shovel in hand and dirt not yet dug?

Stardom Bound says: "Scoreboard"

As usual Alan at Left at the Gate is dead on with his analysis of Stardom Bound's win in the Santa Anita Oaks yesterday. Dana from from Green but Game chimes in with similar comments. Both were perplexed with the criticism of Stardom Bound's win. On the one hand, that is what makes this game so great, the constant back and forth on why a horse won and the debate on what will happen in the next race.

I am always amazed as the widely divergent opinions out there on a outcome of a race. If Brett Favre in his Green Bay Packers days shrugged off 3 sacks and 2 interceptions to lead the Packers on a 97 yard drive to win the game with 2 minutes left in the 4 quarter it is called a "gutty" win and Favre is described the next day in the media as a "winner" a "true champion" a "never say die athlete". Only in horse racing does a gutty athlete get knocked.

This leads to the great paradox of our game-the athletes don't talk.

Did anyone interview Stardom Bound after the race? What did she say? Did she have aches and pains that slowed her up, was she feeling out of it, was she distracted early, did she learn anything off this race? Is she confident going forward? Does she think she can beat the boys? What is her mental state?

I never fully trust a handicapper, owner, trainer or fan when talking about a horse, because he/she never asked the horse. Until someone actually hears the talk horse, a 3rd party opinion is just that, a 3rd party opinion. Until then, all we have is the scoreboard and the scoreboard for Stardom Bound says "Win".

Aqueduct Fantasy

Published Attendance At Aqueduct Racetrack on March 5, 2009 as reported in the Times Union: 483,279.

Maybe they finally put in the slots?

Fantastic Product +Great Marketing=$$$$

If you have a great product and now how to market it, you can still make money, even in this economy. Media Week reports that CBS has nearly sold out all the ads for the online version of March Madness, CBS’s free on-demand access to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Media Week estimates CBS is pushing close to $30 million in revenue, significantly ahead of last year’s $23 million. If it hits $30 million it will be up just over 30% in revenue year over year.

Remember all the criticism of the Friday Breeders Cup and "how do you market it to fans who are stuck at work?" Well, CBS found a way to market a day time event (1st round games are on Thursday & Friday) with the online feed and even found a Sponsor for a gimmick on the site. Comcast sponsor's the "Boss Button", which according to Media Week, will enable at-work viewers to display a fake spreadsheet on their screens with a quick click of the mouse if their boss approaches while they’re watching live games.

Smart Stuff. The main value in the CBS online inventory is that people can only watch some of the early round day games in their office, making the streams a substitute for a TV that would have otherwise been used, so those fans have no choice and that spells big money (online wise-$30 million is a huge #). Compare this to marketing of horse racing-where easily accessible live streaming of major race events is difficult to find.

Oh, in case your wondering, the CBS TV ad revenue for the tournament last year was $430 million.

Positive Praise

As a Time Warner Cable Subscriber I don't have access to TVG or HRTV but I do have Capital OTB on my cable system. It actually serves my purposes pretty well with simulcasts of the NYRA tracks as well as all the other big tracks. Yesterday I was able to watch the Aqueduct card as well as see the Fountain of Youth from Gulfstream and the Sham Stakes from Santa Anita. Unlike the NYC OTB Channel it does not share air space with other programs and seems to be relatively free of the technical problems often seen on the NYC OTB channel.

I like “Trackfacts Live” seen on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9:30-11 am. The production valves are minimal but hosts Nick Kling (turf writer for the Troy Record) and Tom Amello more than make up for the low budget set and production valves with expert analysis and tons of information. I always pick up tidbits of information, especially on betting angles and different ways to handicap. The show is simple in format. The 2 hosts sit behind a table and take questions from callers and read e-mails off laptops placed on the table. Nothing fancy, just tons of information and commentary.

On This Sunday’s program Tom Amello read an e-mail from a fan asking about the Host’s feelings on blogging. Nick Kling was positive, citing the blogger's ability to write about angles not always written about in the mainstream media.

He specifically mentioned 3 blogs he particularly liked and they were all once or current members of Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance They were ex-TBA’ers (or is it former TBA’ers, or TBA alumni, or no longer TBA’ers?) Jessica from Railbird, Brooklyn Backstretch and current TBA blog Colin’s Ghost.

If you have any interest at all in Thoroughbred racing history, and appreciate fine writing and research may I point you to this recent piece written over at Colin’s Ghost.

See you at Siro's

If you have to explain to someone where it is, than they do not know Saratoga. The Trackside Restaurant, frequented by track goers, trainers, owners and various hangers-ons is on the block for $3.1 million.

Saratoga Summer Bookings Up?

With the Derby trail underway, it is never to early to speculate about attendance during the 2009 Saratoga Meet. Tom Federlin of Racing City Realty was quoted in The Post Star as saying:

"My business is up significantly from last year at this time -- and last year was my best year."

Another Broker, Lori Leman, of Saratoga Realty Associates states:

"I think people who are calling up to rent a home are looking for bargains. They are interested in negotiating on price more so than in other years, but the thing is they still want to come to Saratoga"

My prediction in 3 words: Weather, Weather, Weather. Sunny comfortable days are the biggest factor in the size of the crowds at the Spa. Rain and high humidity will keep people away. The economy matters, but not as much as the weather.

Maybe this Twitter Thing Really Works

and I thought is was only to exchange meaningless updates about nothing to people who have way too much free time. Maybe Not....

You can follow the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance Twitter group here

EA Sports focusing on 2 more sports for '09

and no...one of them is not Horse Racing. EA Sports, the leader of sports related video games including the leading seller Madden NFL series is adding 2 new sports to the fold in 2009. The already have the NFL, the NHL, the NBA, NASCAR, NCAA Basketball The PGA and FIFA Soccer. In a soft economy, video game software and equipment has actually risen-2008 saw a sales gain of 19% over 2007. Despite the economy, sales are expected to grow and leading retailer Game Stop has forecast a 10-12% sales gain for 2009.

You would think any marketing agency for a sport would hitch its wagons to this silver bullet. In 2009 EA Sports will debut Tennis with the release of its EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) games are expected later in 2009. I always thought a Horse Racing Video game using the likeness of actual Jockeys , Race Tracks and Trainers would be a good seller and also relate the game player to the actual sport, must like Madden NFL helped make certain players more popular. You could add a fantasy betting element to the game also, as all good gamblers love their action, even on a fantasy level. Seems like Marketing 101 to me, but than again that's just me.

The Economy Must Really Be Bad

In a sure sign that the current state of the economy has reached the consciousness of the elite, The Saratogian reports that socialite and horse owner Mary Lou Whitney will not be throwing the annual Whitney Gala in Saratoga this August. The over the top gala's were a yearly tradition, a invitation only party thrown on the eve of the Whitney Stakes.

Mary Lou Whitney and her husband, John Hendrickson, will continue with their many other community efforts including contributing to a Sunday evening dinner program for all backstretch workers and their families.

Southwest Stakes-looking ahead

In Monday's Southwest Stakes (G3) Old Fashioned did what he had to do, putting away the game Silver City to win at Oaklawn Park.

Looking ahead, I was impressed with Flat Out who finished 4th. If you watch the replay of the race, you will note that Flat Out had a horrible start, getting left at the Gate, way behind the field. He closed nicely almost getting 3rd and seemed that he had alot of run left in him. I think he will be back at Oaklawn in the Rebel Stakes. This horse intrigues me, and you might want to put him on your watch list.

Migliore Joins Thorofan

Popular jockey Richard Migliore has joined the Advisory Board of ThoroFan, a national not-for-profit organization. Migliore was in Saratoga on Monday 02/09/09 to attend the groups meeting at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway. Migliore stated “This group excited a passion in me.” He continued, “I’m still a fan of the game and ThoroFan is the most positive step I’ve seen in a long time.”

ThoroFan also announced that Joseph E. Aulisi has joined the Advisory Board. Aulisi, long-time Saratoga resident is the Director of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

ThoroFan, a national not-for-profit organization, was founded in 2008 in Saratoga Springs, NY to bring fans of Thoroughbred racing together; to encourage fan participation and input; and to educate, entertain and grow the fan base of America’s first sport. The Thorofan website can be accessed at www.thorfan.com.

Animal Planet Jockeys Premiere Garners Impressive Ratings

We reached out to Discovery (parent company of Animal Planet Network) to get some feedback on last Friday Nights Premier of Jockeys.

"Animal Planet was thrilled with the premiere"

said Thali Kouperstein of Discovery. Kouperstein went on:

"The back to back premiere episodes (9-10pm) brought in more than 1 million unique P2+* viewers (1.014M). The ratings were a .6** household; a 50% increase from the year-ago timeslot average."

By comparison "Monk" seen on USA network had the most viewers of any cable show for the week ending February 8th, 2009 according to Nielsen Ratings Data released by The Nielsen Company . Monk had over 5 million viewers counting Live and DVR Same Day Viewing***. Ironically the very popular Monk went up head to head against Jockeys as it also ran in the 9-10 pm time slot on Friday night.

Considering there are over 14,000 airing of shows on cable every week, grabbing the amount of viewers Jockeys did is pretty impressive.

Notes: *: P2t means all persons over the age of 2
**:A household rating is the estimate of the size of a television audience relative to the total universe, expressed as a percentage
***: Live and DVR Same Day Viewing includes DVR playback on the same day, defined as 3 a.m.-3 a.m.

Sources: Discovery Network
The Nielsen Company

Chantal Sutherland Striking the irons

Seems like the breakout star of Animal Planet's Jockeys cable reality show will be Chantal Sutherland.

Every blog, news article or Internet site I have read that talks about the show mentions this talented Jockey including one serving as a lead in to a classroom lesson on purse structure breakdown 101.

For reading of a lighter nature you can pick up the latest issue of Horse Society Magazine, featuring Chantal on the Cover.

Stardom Bound on the Derby Trail-PETA, where are you?

The impressive 3 year old filly Stardom Bound enters the Derby Trail as she is slated to take on the Boys in the Santa Anita Derby on April 4th.

Egads! Surely PETA is on this case, especially in light of the campaign they led following filly Eight Belles' breakdown and euthanasia at the Kentucky Derby on May 3 of 2008. Here it is a year later and another filly is aiming for the Kentucky Derby.

Last Year PETA was up front and center with "reforms" they proposed to the racing industry including delay training and racing until after a horse's third birthday,
eliminating racing on dirt surfaces, limiting the number of races per season and banning whipping.

Now, less than 10 months later the Al Sharpton of the animal world is all quiet. Surely, I thought there must be some mention of this filly Stardom Bound on the PETA website, or at least some follow up on how the proposed "reforms" are going. Weren't they supposed to be "front and center" in stopping this cruel sport from continuing.

Well if you visit the home page of PETA, you would think horse racing has already been successfully banned all over the world, for there is no mention of it on the site, except for the archives section.

I figured they must mention something about the cruel Derby Trail and the merciless pointing of Stardom Bound to the Derby under the "What's New" section of the Home Page. Nope--under the "What's New" the top story is "Tell the NFL to Test Michael Vick for a Brain Disorder". There are 7 stories listed, none about horse racing. The number 6 story is "Save the Sea Kittens". Yes apparently fish are now sea kittens. I checked the Blog section of the site and no horse racing updates there.

You can however read about the campaign to get the home improvement chain "Lowe's" to ban glue traps which they feel is cruelly killing the poor little rats and mice. After all they have the right to infest your home.

Could it be they are waiting for another injury to happen on the Derby Trail before they pounce with the "Told ya so's"? Could it be possible that if this upstart filly Stardom Bound stays on the Derby Trail and comes home safely every time that PETA would ignore this story? Would like to be the bookmaker taking bets on that.

Jockeys-Review of Episode One

Jockeys premieres Friday at 9 pm, February 06, 2009, on Animal Planet. I received the press material kit and was able to watch episode one. My copy had no commercials so it was a crisp and very watchable 22 minutes. Episode one and Episode two will be shown back to back from 9pm-10pm on the 6th.

The series is a behind the scenes look at seven Jockeys. It was filmed at the 30 day Oak Tree meet @ Santa Anita this past fall. It is filmed in typical "reality TV" style with quick edits, voice overs, music beds and interviews of the jockeys.

Episode One, titled "Starting Gate" eases the viewer in, with the wise choice to introduce only 4 of the 7 jockeys featured in the series. The remaining 3 Jockeys are introduced in Episode two, titled "One Good Horse". We also get to see Zenyatta in Episode Two, and what fan would complain about that?

Episode one starts with a feature on the budding rivalry between 18 year old Jockey Joe Talamo and Aaron Gryder. The episode features both racing at Fairplex Park, two days before Opening day at Oak Tree. The episode than jumps to Santa Anita, where Canadian female Jockey Chantal Sutherland comes to California to race the Oak Tree meet. We learn that she has been dating Mike Smith for 1.5 years and will be moving into his condominium. Like all good reality shows, you got to have a romance, and it is clear that the producers will focus on this romance throughout the series.

Animal Planet does not pretend that the series is a hard core look at racing. The series narrator (never seen on camera) even describes basic information such as what a "scratch" is. The producers have written the narration as if they expect many of the viewers to be track maidens.

The press materials released by Animal Planet describe it as a "docu-soap". That is exactly what it is, and the series is heavily edited and packaged to emphasis the personalities of the Jockeys.

For those who only look at racing as "gaming" and not a sport, I doubt this show will appeal to you. If you only care about numbers and reading Past Performances don't even watch the show-you will hate it. You will not here the words "takeout" "ADW" or "Return on Investment" mentioned although they do not totally ignore gambling. Episode one features Jimmy the Hat, a professional gambler stating: "People come to the track to gamble, they are on a drug called action, and from they moment they place a bet, to when the bet is over, that is what makes this whole thing work".

But gambling takes a back seat in this series with the emphasis on the competitiveness between the jockeys, the on-going romance between Smith and Sutherland, and the danger. They amp up the danger aspect of the sport and show a couple of falls during episode one, including one on Opening Day at Oak Tree.

Overall the production quality of the series is excellent. It is a very visually appealing show to watch. Animal Planet is available on most cable systems in High Definition, and I had the benefit of watching episode one in HD.

If you like action, like the sports side of racing, and like learning about the "drama" of the Jockeys involved in the sport, this is a show for you.

Groundhog Day

6 more weeks of winter...Ya think? The snowbanks rise higher around the quite Saratoga Race Course as we wait for winter to end, knowing we really have a solid 2 months left of snow, ice, and cold. Keeping me hopeful is the knowledge, that with the Super Bowl over, it will not be long till Pitchers and Catchers and for a clearer Derby contender list to emerge.

As for the Super Bowl, the game was great, Bruce was great, (snagged 4 tickets today for the Albany NY concert 5/14) and my favorite commercial featured Horses.

It's in the Genes

If only it were that easy.

With all the talented 3 year old's out there-Old Fashioned, Vineyard Haven, Midshipman, Friesan Fire, The Pamplemousse, it figures that the first one to get National Television exposure would be a horse who has yet to enter a Starting Gate- Nicanor, the full brother of Barbaro. CBS Evening News with Katie Couric had a feature story tonight on Nicanor, who is scheduled to make his debut this weekend at Gulfstream.

I can't say I am surprised that a horse who has shown nothing yet is getting all this attention. In the TV biz,It is all about catching the most eyeballs, and cute stories about a full brother of Barbaro will grab more viewers than a story reviewing the Beyers figures of The Pamplemousse. Just look at the 100 million or so movie goers who watched the film about that crazy lovable, dog Marley in Marley & Me. People just love animals, and the more sappy the story, the better.

So love it or hate, this is the way it is, and should the colt win this weekend, get ready for the onslaught. You can read the full text of the story on CBS here.

Bet the Bruce Springsteen Setlist

When I think of Gambling, I will always think of the NFL first. Nowadays I read the Daily Racing Form and Past Performances far more than NFL Lines and injury reports but that was not always the case.

A 5 year or so foray into running "the sheets" in the 1980's for one of my bookie friends helped put me through college. Bookies used runners, and that's where I came in. I needed to pay for my Jesuit College education, and being ethically challenged, I justified it in my mind as a great side job. Plus, being paid cash with no IRS and FICA BS was very appealing to me. Actually I was thinking just the other day, what a easy gig that was. Customers were easy to find, after all there was no Internet yet, at least not in the blue collar homes of the New York neighborhood where I was living at the time.

The bookie I worked for was always in a good mood and the best boss I ever had. He always made money, just off the VIG alone, and he had no problem paying me cash. And the customers loved betting the NFL. I never had one customer stop betting with me, every week they needed action, betting the line, over-unders, teasers, whatever-they just had to bet.

Fast forward 20 some odd years later and how different it is. No more "sheets", now people bet on the Internet and use a credit card account. Oh well, those were the days. Speaking of on-line betting sites , if you need some action besides the game itself and betting Derby Preps this weekend, you can now even bet on the Bruce Springsteen Halftime Set List. All I know is that it will be 12 minutes long and Bruce insists he will play live and not pre-record any parts.

A gander at various on line betting sites put 5-2 odds on a set list consisting of

“Glory Days,” “My Lucky Day,” “Badlands” and “Born To Run.”

The favorite, with 3-1 odds, seems to be

“Born In The USA,” “Thunder Road,” “Rosalita” and “My Lucky Day.”

Looking for value, I will go with a longer shot, at 8-1 on

"Born to Run", "Rosalita", "Working on a Dream", and "The Rising"

99 Days till Derby Day

We are under the 100 day mark, with 99 days till the First Saturday in May, The Kentucky Derby. Things will heat up real fast on the Derby Trail real soon. Starting with the Grade II The Hutcheson Stakes on 1/30/09 and Grade III Holy Bull Stakes on 01/31/09, a graded stakes prep will go off virtually every weekend till Derby Day.

For a Road to the Roses Schedule of the stakes races check out the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance Home Page on the Tabs section where all races and potential entrants are listed.

The Legendary Football Team That Horse Racing Built-Part II

A outstanding post by Valerie at Foolish Pleasure on Steelers founder Art Rooney and his 2 day killing in 1936 at 2 New York Race Tracks has inspired me to write about my favorite football team and last year’s Super Bowl Champs the New York Giants.

For when you mention The Football Rooney Family, thoughts about the Football Mara Family are not far behind. Art Rooney was very close friends with Tim Mara, the original owner of the New York Giants, whose family still owns 50% of the Giants.

Just like Art Rooney, The Mara Family ownership of the New York Giants would not have existed if it were not for Tim Mara’s entry into the Horse Racing industry.

After dropping out of school when he was thirteen, Tim Mara became a runner for Thomas "Chicago" O'Brien, a major New York gambler. Mara delivered newspapers and worked in a book bindery by day; by night he made pickups and deliveries for O'Brien. Mara later opened up his own book bindery company, which fronted for his own bookmaking operation.

Soon, Mara worked his way up to his own enclosed space at Belmont Park and became a member of the local racing association. He handled as much as $30,000 in wagers in a single day, a large sum back in the 1920's.

Joe Carr, the NFL’s President, wanted a showcase franchise in New York and offered it to fight promoter Billy Gibson. Gibson declined but introduced Carr to his friend Tim Mara.

At the time Mara bought the Giants, he had never even seen a football game. But the promoters of the NFL knew that bookmakers were a type extremely “susceptible” to new forms of investment. They offered Mr. Mara the franchise and he accepted. The then 39 year old Horse racing Bookmaker Tim Mara paid $500 for the New York Giants in August 1925.

Mr. Mara also continued his bookmaking activities at the racetrack.

But his good friend Art Rooney would not bet with Mara. One Saturday, Mr. Rooney went to the old Empire City race track in Yonkers in 1936 and asked his good buddy Tim Mara to pick a winner for him. Mara gave him a 14-1 shot in the 1st race which Rooney reportedly bet $500 on and got back more than $7,000. His run of luck continued,and according to the NY Times obituary on Rooney, by day's end he had taken in more than $100,000. The next day, he went up to Saratoga, and on Monday, parlayed his $100,000 into more than $300,000. Exactly how much he made, as described in detail in Valerie’s Blog, depends on who you ask, but rest assured it was a lot (and this is depression era dollars we are talking about !).

Rooney once told sports columnist Red Smith,

"I had Tim Mara's figures but sometimes I'd see something the charts didn't see, like a change of jockeys or post position, and I'd use my own judgement.”

When Mr. Rooney came home that day in 1936, he told his wife, Kathleen, who was pregnant,

''We don't have to worry about money again.''

In Mara's honor, the Rooneys named their next child Tim. Chris Mara, a grandson of Timothy J. Mara, is married to one of Mr. Rooney's grandchildren, Kathleen.

Sources :

Mark Maske. War Without Death (Penguin Group, 2007) p. 15

Roberth H. Boyle. It's Just One Man's Family Sports Illustrated 09/25/72

Gerald Eskenazi. Art Rooney, 87, Founder of NFL’s Steelers, Dies. (NY Times 08/26/88)

Television Coverage

It has long been said that the sport of Thoroughbred racing missed the boat on Television. The Sport was once the king of print journalism in the 1930's -1950's, just take a gander at archives of papers such as the New York Times.

Then Television became commonplace in American Homes in the late 1950's and Racing never really jumped on board.

The National Football League did jump on board from the beginning and it remains the king of Televised Sports and lately it is beating even the biggest non-sports shows. This stat from Molly Willow of the Columbus Dispatch "Tube Talk" column:

"About 22 million people watched afternoon playoff games weekly on both CBS and Fox. That's more than the average audience for this season's No. 1, Dancing With the Stars (19.2 million), and No. 2, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (18.8 million) -- both of which are on at night, when viewers might not have anything better to do"

Her theory on the huge ratings:

"I don't think the football audience has necessarily increased because the game has become more interesting as it has evolved. The NFL, after all, claims that its "Greatest Game Ever Played" took place in 1958.

Instead, I suspect a combination of the hyper-
commercialization of the sport (see: FedEx), the heightened interest because of fantasy football and, in no small part, high definition"

And oh yeah, not mentioned in the column but another factor is that people bet on the NFL games. Those with a betting interest are also tuning in.

Horse racing will never achieve the TV ratings of the NFL, but it can certainly increase it's share of TV eyeballs but promoting Fantasy Horse Stables and increasing shows broadcast in High Definition (including your local OTB Channel).

Sources:

Molly Willow "Football Sailing High above Series Fare" The Columbus Dispatch. Jan. 14 2009

Global Warming and Synthetic Surfaces

I took this photo today at a farm in Saratoga County, NY. I just love how relaxed this horse is in the cold snow. Animals are great because they only think in the here and now, never the past or future. One thing this horse is not thinking about is Global Warming.

To me Global Warming is like Synthetic Surfaces-Who really knows what the hell the real truth is? As of late with the economic collapse, it is now become the "hot topic" to talk about the economy at a social gathering instead of global warming. Prior to the economic collapse if I heard one more person spout off about global warming, I swear I was gonna stab myself in the eye with a pencil. Maybe global warming is real, and I will owe everyone an apology, but I think mankind can never alter Mother Nature all that much-she will kick our ass every time.

But Global Warming will win out you think? Sure it will, just like the killer bees in the 1970s that were coming from Texas to sting us to a painful slow death. That was 30 years ago and I'm still waiting for the little buggers to arrive in New York.

Today as I write this it is 2 degrees in Saratoga County, NY and it will be 10 below Zero overnight with daytime highs of 0. In the Midwest they are experiencing their coldest temperatures in 10 years and in New England Ski Resorts closed today as it was too cold and unsafe to allow skiers on the slopes. But I am supposed to continue to worry about global warming because somebody who cares about the planet said the Atlantic Ocean was 1 degree warmer in 2004 than it was in 1904?

Same problem I have with all this drama over Synthetic surfaces-why should I believe it is safer-because someone told me so-with little scientific data? Maybe it is safer. I think with the right engineering and scientific data a real good and safe synthetic surface can be in widespread use down the road, but for right now I am always suspect of when people are so adamant about telling me what is good for me (and our animals) and what is not.

I love reading journalist Steve Haskin. He cuts through the bullshit and writes in such a common sense manner.

In his recent 01/02/09 Bloodhorse column he posed this question:

"Did we perhaps act too quickly in rushing into synthetic surfaces without knowing as much about their complexities and idiosyncrasies as we should have?"

Steroid Use

A reporter once asked Rickey Henderson if Ken Caminiti’s estimate that 50 percent of Major League Baseball players were taking steroids was accurate. His response was:

“Well, Rickey’s not one of them, so that’s 49 percent right there.”

Rickey Henderson cruised into the Hall of Fame getting 94.8 percent of the writers votes. This was Henderson's first time on the ballot. He played 25 seasons for 9 different teams. He was exciting, colorful and one helluva player. I would argue, the greatest lead off hitter ever. His stats are unbelievable. He was also always in terrific shape and played the game clean.

Mark McGuire, long suspected steroid user, did not make the Hall on his 3rd year on the ballot and saw his percentage drop to 21.9 percent from 23.6 percent. This supports my belief that people hate cheaters (including those they strongly suspect of cheating) and will reduce that player or any sport that includes cheating to irrelevancy.

The fans tolerance of steroid use is low and support will drop of any player or sport suspected of steroid use. The NTRA in October announced the Safety and Integrity Alliance Pledge. The pledge includes uniform medication rules for each racing state and a ban of steroids from racing competition.

You can fool the public for a short while, but once they become convinced you are cheating, especially with drugs, they become intolerant of you and will just shut you out. Witness the public's disdain of McGuire. How about the sport of Boxing? Can you even name the current Heavyweight Champ? I thought so, the public simply does not take the sport seriously anymore. Horse Racing must be careful to ensure the general public it is a clean game or else risk the public shunning that will follow.

200 Days till Opening Day

It is now 200 days till opening day of the the 2009 Saratoga Meet. Seems so far away right now with Snow falling today at Aqueduct and piling up here in Saratoga County.

To keep your mind on the game as the snow falls, check out the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance Homepage where you can view and vote on what you feel was really the best photo of the year.

No Sign of a Recession

Not in Saratoga. So says Long time Times Union (Albany, NY) news columnist Marv Cermak. On 12/27/08 Mr. Cermak toured downtown Saratoga to report that

"pricey restaurants were at or near capacity"

including high end Italian restaurant Chianti which he describes as

"overflowing"

He also visited the Saratoga Racino where he found only about 100 of 1700 slot machines

"without a player"

Cermak reports that the buffett room, tavern and snack bar were all near capacity. He describes the attendance at the Saratoga racino to be by far the highest of his dozen or so prior visits to the racino.

Of course, this is all anecdotal evidence reported by Cermak. I would guess that these downtown Saratoga restaurants were doing better in 2007 than in 2008. I can't see how they would not. I had brunch at the usually crowded downtown restaurant Gaffney's the day after Cermak's Saratoga tour and found only one other couple in the entire place. As for the racino, Cermak is probably right about the large attendance. Like zombies in the night, people still flock to play the mindless slots.

Regarding the accuracy of columns written by Marv Cermak, may I suggest you read anything he writes with a copious measure of skepticism .

This past summer he wrote in his Times Union column about being at the Saratoga Race Course and witnessing Secretariat run in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in 1973. Only problem, Secretariat never ran in the Travers. Instead, after winning the Triple Crown, Secretariat ran in the Whitney Stakes, losing to the Allen Jerkens-trained Onion by a length. I wrote to Cermak, correcting his memory of the event, and asked for a correction to be printed. He never corrected the error and subsequent attempts to reach out to Cermak recieved no response. You can read his entire column on his recent Saratoga visit here.

Journalist v. Blogger

I read with interest the 01/05/09 entry of Brooklyn Backstretch titled "Who's writing about racing". One quote from the piece:

"For now, though, mainstream media and non-traditional writers seem to be forging a fragile affiliation, one that can probably work for both parties in the near term, while racing, journalism, and new media figure out just exactly what the landscape can and should look like going forward"

Fragile at best. One only has to look in the Sports Blog Mainstream where "traditional" journalist Jason Whitlock has been in a back 'n forth battle with the very popular sports blog Deadspin. Check out the latest angry barb against Deadspin from Whitlock where he asks for sports blogs to police themselves, and of course, the snarky Deadspin wastes no time in responding.

Winter Classic Skates past Breeders Cup

In a case of "build it and they will come" the National Hockey League's regular season New Years Day game dubbed the "Winter Classic" between Chicago and Detroit on NBC drew a overnight rating of 2.9 according to Nielsen Media Research. This was up from last years 2.6 rating.

By Comparison the ABC broadcast portion of Saturday's 2008 Breeders Cup did a 1.3. The much ballyhooed Filly Friday or Ladies Day or whatever it was called did a 0.3 on ESPN2.

The NHL Winter Classic endeavor shows that if you put out a good product that people want and promote it properly, people will watch. Are you listening Breeders Cup?

Fitting End

Jeffrey Tucker, founding partner of hedge fund investment group Fairfield Greenwich Group, has abruptly stopped all new construction on his huge horse farm (Stonebridge Farm) in Schuylerville NY (just outside Saratoga NY). He also wants to sell his thoroughbreds after losing some $7.5 billion in the Bernard Madoff scandal, according to the Times Union.

How fitting that on the last day of 2008, this article about Tucker is run on the front page of the Times Union (Albany, NY) in an "above the fold" story.

It's been an interesting year, in and out of the racing game. We saw a big triple crown hope fail to live up to expectations, Curlin, Eight Belles, Zenyatta, more talk of synthetic surfaces, attendance and handle declines, rain and more rain at the Spa, and a new 2 day format of the Breeders Cup.

For all the latest news and more as 2009 approaches, grab the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance feed.

We now turn the page, hope springs eternal, for tomorrow our 2 year old crops turns 3, and the optimist in me begs to come out.

Recession Proof?

As we read news articles and blogs about the state of economy further killing track handle and attendance, this report from NBC Nightly News of 12/29/08 reports that not only are State Lottery sales up in 29 of 42 states that sell lottery numbers and scratch off tickets but 22 states will have record sales in 2008. Many people apparently feel that if they have a few bucks left in the week to gamble with, it is far easier and certainty less challenging mentally to throw a buck on the counter of the local convenience store and buy a scratch off ticket rather than bury ones head in the Daily Racing Form and figure out a horse to bet on.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Saturday This n That

On this relatively mild day on the east coast NYRA runs its last Graded Stakes race of 2008, the $100,000 Grade III Gravesend Handicap over 6 Furlongs. When I think of Gravesend, I think of the Gravesend section of Brooklyn, having been there many times on business when living in the the NY City area. The Gravesend Handicap traces its roots back to the long gone Gravesend Bay Racetrack in Brooklyn New York.

For some great background history on the Racetrack and one particular race run way back in 1894, check out the Brooklyn Backstretch site.

As far as the 2008 edition, look for Lucky Island to run strong. With trainer Kiernan McLaughlin in Florida, assistant trainer Art Magnuson, who grew up a stones throw from Saratoga in Clifton Park NY, will saddle Lucky Island with Alan Garcia aboard.

On the west coast, Santa Anita opened with a opening day crowd of 33,100 -- an increase from last year's opening day crowd of 30,156. Check out Mary Forney's Blog for a report on the day featuring a Grade 1 Malibu Stakes win by Bob Black Jack.

218 Days

Till opening day at Saratoga...Merry Christmas everyone!

Quote of the Day

"The best menu for a horse is hay, water and oats"

-John B. Simoni, New York Racing and Wagering Board.

These comments were made with reference to the ban on certain type of anabolic steroids for Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horses in New York State effective January 1, 2009. There will be no grace period and apparently the Racing and Wagering Board will be tough in enforcing the ban.

Quotes on Racing from Costas Now Year in Review Special

The HBO Costas Now Year in Review special as well as the follow up Costas Now Overtime on HBO.com had some interesting quotes on Thoroughbred racing.

Bob Costas on Big Brown coming up short in the Triple Crown Chase:

"Another reminder that in the drama without a script that is sports, nothing is certain."

Charles Barkley responding to the question of Did he Bet on Big Brown:

"I don't bet on Animals"

Barkley on gambling on horses in general:

"Anything you hit, will run fast. That is not a big deal to me."

John McEnroe on Steroids in Sports:

"The dirtiest Sport right now is Horse Racing."

McEnroe speaking of past legal use of steroids in horse racing:

"Why was it legal"

Costas Now Year in Review Special

HBO Sports Show COSTAS NOW will have a live 90 minute broadcast on December 17 using a town hall setting. Hosted by Bob Costas, COSTAS NOW will focus on some of the biggest sports stories to emerge in 2008. Each segment will include a video segment, followed by a live panel discussion hosted by Bob Costas.

Any bets on if any Thoroughbred Stories will make the cut? Will The Big Brown triple crown chase get a mention, or perhaps the Eight Belles Tragedy? Or maybe these stories are no longer in the public memory bank, crowded out by other sports stories in the public eye this year such as Swimmer Michael Phelps, and the Giants dramatic Super Bowl Victory? The special will air on HBO from 9-10:30 pm Eastern time on Wednesday December 17th.